'04-'08(?) Quest Power Moonroof leaks and fixes

A forum for the Nissan Quest... minivan lovers unite!
Quest2004
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:37 am
Car: 2004 Nissan Quest SE

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(cut-n-pasted from my response to another post)

Every 2004-2007 Quest is a leak waiting to happen from that power roof. The holes in the corners plug up - you have to watch that. Also, the rubber drain tubes that go down the A-pillars plug up. Sometime you can blow them out from the top - sometimes you can't. Here's the big one: those drain tubes will kink because Nissan used generic lightweight, soft rubber tubing. It sits up there in the roof cavity and bakes, get's soft, and kinks. Solution: Open up your headliner and remove the old tubes - they run down the a-pillar and are easy to get to and just dangle down into the bottom of the car (you have to pop off a couple of panels). Go to a local BOAT supply store (maybe Lowes or Home Depot as well - I didn't check them) and get the heavier, reinforced tubing with metal inside it. These won't pinch or kink. Unplug old, plugin new, and feed down the A-pillar. I did this - that was two years ago. No issues.

Same applies to the two rear drain tubes - they are almost guaranteed to kink. Why? Once again the cheap hoses bend around two corners and kink - both of mine were kinked. They run down the pillar behind the sliding door to the bottom. Same thing - replace them both. Howeverrrrrrr, , once you pull the old ones out, you will never be able to fish the new one down the same path because the gap down in the panel on the side of the car is too small. Cheat. Don't run the tube down immediately into the rear panel at the top. Leave it outside the panel - between it and the inside plastic trim panel - until you get to the bottom. THEN route it over thru a hole into the side panel and down. It is reinforced - it will be fine between the trim panel and the metal.

Had they used reinforced tubes in the first place, most of this type of thing would never have happened. :slap:

(I can't speak for 08's-09's, but I assume they have the same issue.)


chefnee
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 2008 Nissan Quest SE
Location: Tennessee, USA

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Awesome! Question. How do I pop open the panel near the driver and passenger doors? I don't want to break those panels. What about the headliner? Will I have to glue it back in place? Thanks!

Quest2004
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:37 am
Car: 2004 Nissan Quest SE

Post

Q: "How do I pop open the panel near the driver and passenger doors? I don't want to break those panels. What about the headliner? Will I have to glue it back in place? "

A: 1. For the headliner, start by taking out the screws that hold in the overhead console if you have one - they are under the LCD screens. The other trim pieces around the outside top - that all pop off - hold it up there. Take off your visors (screws) and any other upper console nonsense (screws/clips). The overhead console (TV's) also has a couple of round plastic push clips that pop into holes in the ceiling - you'll see them once the console starts dropping down. Obviously, watch your electrical connectors, rear window wiper hose that routes from the front and your air vent coming over from the rear AC. You can see them when you start dropping it down. MUCH easier with two people BTW. To reinstall, you hold it up there and start putting the side trim pieces back on to hold it up. Not bad with two people. Not fun with one - take it out and in thru the back of the car. (Apologies, I totally brain cramped and didn't take pictures of the whole exercise - still looking though). These headliners are pretty durable as they are made of some type of molded material that the headliner material is stuck to. These are NOT typical 1980's-era headliners that are cardboard and fall apart - they're pretty thick.

2. No, you do NOT have to glue it up there. The screws and trim pieces hold it up.

3. If you are referring to the A pillar panel (left and right of the windshield), those plastic panels just pop off (hopefully I can get my pictures I have on here). The panels for the B Pillar also pop in (by the seat belts). For the - we'll call it the "C pillar" behind the sliding doors, that whole panel pops off with a bunch of clips. I believe if memory serves there are is a couple of screws (odd looking knobs) low in the front (by the speaker that rests by the passengers foot). The round "knobs" in the far back sides as well as one in the front will unscrew - these are the funky looking knobs that are about 3/4" round. Honestly, those rear side panel that run all the way to the back will come off in a minute or two. Not much to them - take your time. Remember, if you can't see screws, the only way that panel is staying on is with internal clips. REMEMBER: Check your panels when BEFORE you reinstall them to ensure the clips are still stuck to the panel and NOT in the hole in the car's sheet metal. These clips are infamous for coming off - if you forget to notice this, you can be trying to pop the panel back in with no clip in place. Then you realize it...get irritated...and have to pull the panel back out to push the white or black clip back in.

(looking for pictures now - I'll figure out how to put them on here)


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